The Assassin's Tale (Isle of Dreams)

by Kirsten Jones

  Phantasm made no response; he was deeply engrossed in his book. Phantom took off a boot and threw it at him irritably, ‘Some sympathy would be appropriate around now! Just how many ways are there to “Introduce Yourself” anyway?’

  ‘I’d like to hear Grendel’s,’ said Mistral with a grin.

  ‘That’s easy,’ smirked Phantom. ‘”Duh, hello, I’ve forgotten my name. Er, what’s yours?”.’

  ‘Nice impersonation,’ laughed Phantasm, deftly lobbing the boot back at his brother.

  Phantom ducked and the boot slammed into the wall, knocking a shower of stone dust onto the bed and covering Mistral’s shiny knives with a fine layer. Avoiding her angry glare, Phantom leapt lightly off the bed and strolled over to peer over the top of his brother’s book.

  ‘Seriously brother, how can that book be so thick? Is the writing very large or something? Only I can’t see how anyone could write so much on such a dull subject.’

  Realising that he wasn’t going to get any peace, Phantasm sighed and laid the book face down on his bed before sitting up.

  ‘You don’t really want to spend your entire career tracking, hunting and killing things do you,’ he said, raising his eyebrows questioningly.

  ’No chance! I want to stick with our original plan: Qualify then spend a second year perfecting our gift and skip the blood and guts part to go straight into highly paid Council work. Being paid to sit in meetings is a much more exciting prospect than cleaning muskrat intestines off your hands every night!’

  Phantasm smiled and tapped the musty smelling book with one slender finger, ‘And this fine piece of work, my brother, is going to help us reach the heady heights of such low-down dirty work.’

  ‘That and successfully Qualifying the first and then the second year,’ murmured Mistral, holding one gleaming knife up to the light and admiring its bright sheen from every angle.

  ‘You think we won’t?’ the twins queried in unison, looking at her intently.

  Satisfied that the knives were both clean and sharp, Mistral carefully slotted them back into her carrying belt and looked up to see both twins still looking straight at her, their faces slightly haughty.

  ‘I didn’t mean you two. It’s me I can’t see making it that far,’ she said a touch exasperatedly.

  ‘Why?’ Phantasm asked blankly.

  ‘I feel trapped here,’ she admitted, fidgeting restlessly with her knife belt. ‘I’m not used to being told what to do and where to go all the time. I think I can just about cope with the notion of a year … but two! I don’t think so!’

  There was a silence while the twins regarded her balefully.

  ‘You may have a gift that is incredibly rare, and you would throw it away just because you feel a bit trapped?’ Phantasm demanded angrily.

  Mistral blinked in surprise. It was rare for Phantasm to lose his temper, and almost never with her.

  ‘Look, I know that staying for a second year is important to you, but I’m just not sure if it’s for me. I don’t really care about Sight … it’s bad enough being able to read auras. It really confused me for ages when I was younger. I can only imagine being able to actually hear people’s thoughts is twice as disturbing. Anyway, it’s my choice to make so don’t go getting snappy with me!’

  Mistral glared at Phantasm mutinously and leaned back against the wall, folding her arms tightly.

  The twins caught each other’s eye and grimaced, when Mistral looked that stubborn there was usually no point in continuing the conversation.

  Phantasm sighed and continued in a more conciliatory tone, ‘Of course it’s your choice Mistral, but it would be a terrible waste of a rare and powerful gift. You know that we’d respect any decision you made, but just for friendship’s sake why don’t we agree to discuss your future nearer to Qualification? That’s a reasonable request isn’t it?’

  Mistral glowered at him for a moment. Half of her wanted to shout that no, it wasn’t reasonable for the twins to expect her to waste a year of her life learning how to develop a gift she didn’t even want then storm out of the room and slam the door as satisfyingly hard as she could … but the other half of her had to admit that what Phantasm said made sense. Mistral knew she was guilty of being too impulsive and hadn’t yet given any real consideration to the possibility that she might possess Sight … perhaps she could cope with another year’s training … at least the practical side was challenging enough to keep her interested … and maybe she’d feel better if they began to get out of the Valley on Contracts – which brought her mind back to the Contract they might be going out on soon and a spark of excitement flashed inside her.

  ‘Of course that’s reasonable,’ she agreed brightly and began to sharpen her favourite dagger.

  The twins shared a bemused look. Mistral’s rapid mood swings confounded even them.

  ‘As long as I survive the rest of the first year’s training, that is,’ Mistral added thoughtfully and ran a finger down the razor-sharp edge of her dagger.

  A rapid knocking on the door made them all jump and Saul’s voice called urgently.

  ‘Master Sphinx is back! He’s sent Cyrus up here to fetch us all to the Main Hall! We’ve got the Contract!’

  Mistral leapt off the bed with a whoop of joy, ‘Let’s get down there!’ she cried throwing open the door to reveal Saul’s grinning face.

  ‘Why couldn’t he have come back four hours ago,’ grumbled Phantom, heaving himself from the bed and peering quickly into the mirror to wipe some slime from his face.

  They joined the throng of apprentices following the burly figure of Cyrus marching importantly along the corridor ahead of them. Their excited talk died away when they reached the first floor and approached the Main Hall in a more orderly fashion, entering the long room under the menacing gaze of Cyrus. The apprentices filed in silently and quickly sat down on one of the hard wooden seats set out in a long row. As soon as they were seated, everyone’s eyes were immediately drawn to the imposing figure of their Training Captain stood in front of the fire deep in conversation with a tall, grey-haired warrior.

  ‘Who’s that?’ Mistral whispered out of the corner of her mouth to Phantasm.

  ‘Master Shacklock, he’s the Ri’s Contracts Officer. He manages all Contracts for first and second years.’

  ‘He looks more like a warrior,’ Mistral muttered back with a frown.

  Phantasm nodded, ‘He was, and a very good one too. That’s why he got the job. When Master Shacklock gives you a Contract you know he’s looked at it from every angle.’

  Their whispered conversation was brought to an abrupt halt when Leo Sphinx turned to face them. He looked weary, with dark shadows beneath his piercing blue eyes.

  ‘Good afternoon apprentices,’ he began in a clear voice. ‘For those of you who have not met the Ri’s Contract’s Officer yet, now is the time. Master Gleacher Shacklock will become a familiar face in your lives over the coming year as you develop your skills and are able to undertake more Contracts.’

  Leo paused to murmur something inaudible to Gleacher Shacklock and Mistral switched her gaze to the Contract’s Officer, studying the iron features and cold grey eyes. He was staring emotionlessly at the room of apprentices while he listened to whatever Leo was saying to him, finally he nodded and passed Leo the rolled up scroll of parchment he had been holding.

  Leo unrolled the parchment and ran his eyes over it briefly before looking up again. His blue eyes narrowed as he appraised the apprentices gathered before him.

  ‘This is a Contract ordered by the Mage Council to eradicate a renegade band of goblins currently attacking and robbing travellers through The Emerald Forests. The Council are not certain of how large the band is... so I shall be sending all of you.’

  ‘And charge the Council for experienced warriors while we’re sent for free!’ Phantasm muttered disgustedly.

  ‘Caleb and Cyrus will be overseeing the Contract … and evaluating your performance,’ he added with a warning glare at Xer
xes and Brutus. ‘While you are out of the Valley you will be representing the Ri. Your actions will reflect directly on me as your Training Captain. Do not give me cause to be disappointed in any of you!’

  ‘I feel like I’m back at home,’ muttered Xerxes to Brutus. ‘He could teach our mother a thing or two about nagging!’

  Mistral started to laugh then quickly smothered it, dipping her head to avoid Leo Sphinx’s icy glare.

  ‘You will leave at first light. Cyrus will outline the route and strategy for you now.’ Leo finished speaking and abruptly swept from the room, followed by the Contract’s Officer.

  The moment Leo left the room the tense atmosphere he always created suddenly eased and a buzz of excitement ran through the apprentices.

  ‘Whatever Cyrus tells us to pack don’t forget the knucklebones set and some cards!’ Brutus hissed urgently to Xerxes.

  ‘I’ll take two sets, in case we wear the first one out,’ Xerxes grinned, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

  ‘Attention first years!’ Cyrus barked, standing at the front of the room with his hands on his hips, scowling heavily at them.

  ‘Mother again!’ Xerxes and Brutus intoned dully, causing another ripple of laughter to run through the room.

  ‘Quiet!’ Cyrus bellowed, his face flushing an angry red. ‘This is your first Contract! Try and take it seriously or I may have to recommend that you are expelled from the Valley!’

  A sudden silence fell. The first years looked at each other apprehensively.

  ‘Can he do that?’ Mistral muttered to Phantasm.

  ‘No, only Master Sphinx or another member of the Magnate can expel an apprentice,’ he snorted dismissively.

  ‘Good,’ she whispered back with a relieved sigh. ‘Because I’m so going to take this opportunity to paste Columbine … somehow –’

  ‘The Emerald Forests are two to three days ride from the Valley. We’ll follow this route here –’ Cyrus turned and pointed to a large map of the Isle pinned to the wall. Mistral glanced over at it and was immediately captivated. She had never actually seen a map of the Isle that she lived on before, to see the mountains and forests she had only heard spoken of actually laid out before her was fascinating. The Isle was roughly oval shaped with a vast mountain range filling the far northern end. At the eastern edge of the mountains lay a large forest, Mistral narrowed her eyes to read the name and made out the words “Dawn Forest” written in flowing script underneath it. At the base of the northern mountains Mistral could see a large black dot and the words “Mage Council” written beside it. A long blue line dissected the Isle from west to east, the words “Amber River” followed the looping curves that reached the eastern side of the Isle and joined the sea. The Velvet Forests lay further to the west of the Isle and Mistral thought she could roughly guess whereabouts the village of Nevelte lay. A jutting mass of land formed the west side of the Isle; the familiar contours of the Western Range filled most of it. The Valley of the Ri was clearly marked and the heavy low-lying marsh lands to the south were indicated by a picture of a worm-like knucker. Finally Mistral’s gaze drifted down to the southern end of the Isle, following a ridge of mountains to where Cyrus was pointing at a large greenish mark on the map beneath the words “The Emerald Forests”.

  ‘We will ride down through the southern marshes. They should be passable at this time of year. If not, we’ll have to trek through the mountains of the Southern Range to cut around the marshlands. We camp the first night here –’ he stabbed a large finger in the middle of a completely blank section of the map drawing a snort of derision from Xerxes.

  ‘So, we might go through the knucker infested swamp … or we might go through the mountains, which would be great since the Southern Range is a notorious breeding ground for gargoyles … and we’re camping in the middle of nowhere! Fantastic!’

  ‘When we arrive at The Emerald Forests we will track and hunt the goblins … as a group!’ Cyrus continued loudly, oblivious to Xerxes’ acidic comments. ‘There will be no heroic lone-warrior antics! I will be in charge of the party.’

  ‘I wonder if he’s told Caleb that!’ Phantom whispered to Mistral who suppressed a grin.

  ‘Pack your full kit; swords, armour, crossbows and throwing knives. The Contract is to eradicate not capture. We must bring back evidence of our successful completion of the Contract … heads are traditional.’

  The twins groaned and pulled identical faces of disgust at this gory revelation.

  ‘Now I suggest you avoid your usual Saturday night trip to The Cloak and Dagger and have an early night for tomorrow’s early start.’ Cyrus finished, dismissing them curtly.

  Mistral stood up quickly and looked around, everyone was there except for the two second years; she guessed that this type of work would be too basic for them now anyway. As her eyes flicked over the apprentices, all rising from their seats and beginning to talk excitedly, she locked gazes with Columbine’s malevolent black stare and realised with a start that Golden was not beside her.

  Mistral found herself walking out beside Saul, ‘Where’s Golden?’ whispered to him curiously.

  ‘Apparently she was injured in training. She’s in the Infirmary,’ he replied with a shrug.

  ‘What did she do strain her hair by flipping it too often?’ Mistral muttered scornfully.

  Saul laughed, ‘That or broke a nail … anyway, her not coming is just a bonus as far as I see it. She’d only whinge and whine and I can’t see her being much good at sawing the heads off goblin corpses.’

  ‘I’m so not looking forward to that part,’ grumbled Phantom.

  ‘What’s that on your face Phantom?’ Saul asked, peering closely at Phantom.

  Phantom wiped something from his cheek and examined it with a grimace of disgust, ‘Muskrat … I’m going for a shower –’

  Phantasm strolled up alongside Mistral and watched his brother pushing through the apprentices in his haste to reach the bathrooms.

  ‘I bet it’ll be cold,’ he sighed unsympathetically.

  ‘They always are!’ Saul exclaimed. ‘I thought Caleb said that there was one shower’s worth of hot water a day. I want to know who gets it, because it’s never me!’

  ‘Who do you think?’ Mistral rolled her eyes. ‘I’ve heard her. She gets Columbine to wake her before the rest of us so that she always gets the hot shower.’

  ‘Well, she won’t have to rush next week, because we won’t be here to steal her precious hot water!’ Saul’s eyes glinted with excitement.

  Calculating quickly, Mistral realised with a burst of sheer joy that they would be out of the Valley for at least four days travelling there and back, plus a day or maybe two to track and hunt the goblins. A whole week out of the Valley, she couldn’t wait …

  ‘Cloak and Dagger?’ Saul asked as he paused outside the room he shared with Cain.

  ‘Definitely!’ Mistral confirmed with a grin. ‘Just going to shove a few things in my saddlebag and I’ll be down!’

  Mistral threw some clothes and her armour into her saddlebag and dumped it beside the door then tossed her rolled up travelling cloak onto the top. Next she grabbed her swords and crossbow and propped them against the wall beside her bulging saddlebag. She gazed around her room, tapping a finger thoughtfully against her teeth then grinned when she spotted her knife belt sticking out from under the bed. Adding that to the top of the pile she was finally satisfied that she’d packed everything she needed. She flung open her door and marched along the corridor to bang her hand against the twins’ door.

  Phantom opened it immediately, looking cleaner and marginally less peeved.

  ‘Yes?’ he enquired politely.

  ‘Drink?’

  Instantly his face changed into a broad grin, ‘Yes please! I thought everyone was actually going to do what Cyrus told them for once!’

  ‘No chance!’ Mistral laughed and the three of them joined the other apprentices all stealthily making their way past the staircase leading to the third flo
or where the Magnate and Training Lieutenants had rooms.

  The apprentices were all in high spirits at the prospect of their first Contract and an extended break from their relentless training regime. Only Columbine, Golden and Bali were conspicuous by their absence when they gathered around three tables in The Cloak and Dagger and immediately began a lively debate on the best methods for killing gargoyles should they end up travelling through the Southern Range.

  ‘Burn them!’ Brutus advised when he returned from the bar with his hands full of overflowing tankards.

  ‘Or decapitate them,’ added Saul.

  ‘You can do,’ said Brutus thoughtfully, ‘but burning them is better because you don’t have to get too close to them. They’ve got poisonous bites and it’s a pretty nasty venom.’

  ‘How d’you get close enough to light a fire under one of them then?’ Grendel’s asked in a slow voice.

  ‘Shoot a flaming arrow or bolt at them while they’re in the nest,’ Brutus said simply. ‘We had a pair build a nest in the mountains near our tribe. We all just went up early one morning when they’d come back from hunting and fired a few flaming arrows at the nest while they were asleep. It went up like a dry haystack! The smell was vile though.’

  Mistral listened with interest. Gargoyles were mountain-dwelling creatures and as such she’d never come across one in The Velvet Forests. After a while the debate moved on to the band of goblins.

  ‘Nasty little critters,’ said Xerxes with a shudder. ‘Creep up on you with their horrible long fingers and steal your money bag before you know it.’

  ‘Voice of bitter experience brother?’ Cain enquired with a grin.

  Xerxes looked grouchy and took a long drink from his tankard, ‘I think it’s time for a game of cards!’ he announced, abruptly changing the subject.

  While Xerxes began to deal out cards and argue about stakes, Mistral turned to look at the twins and waited for them to finish their conversation with Saul about gargoyles. When Phantasm broke off to reach for his tankard, Mistral caught his eye.

  ‘Goblins,’ she said in a low voice. ‘I’ve only seen one once and it was already dead. The only live one I’ve met is Titus and he doesn’t count as I’m not trying to kill him. Is there anything I should know about them?’